This is a list of international sports federations, each of which serves as a non-governmentalgoverning body for a given sport and administers its sport at a world level, most often crafting rules, promoting the sport to prospective spectators and fans, developing prospective players, and organizing world or continental championships. Some international sports federations like the International Swimming Federation and the International Skating Union may oversee multiple activities referred to in common parlance as separate sports: FINA, for example governs swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, and water polo as separate 'disciplines' within the single 'sport' of Aquatics.

International sports federations form an integral part of the Olympic and Paralympic movements. Each Olympic sport is represented by its respective international sport federation, which in turn help administer their respective events during the Games. For a sport to become an Olympic sport, its respective international sport federation must be recognized by the International Olympic Committee.[1]

Likewise, an international sports federation must be recognized by the International Paralympic Committee for its sport to become a paralympic sport, though in the latter case, several Paralympic Sports are governed by a dedicated committee of the International Paralympic Committee itself, under the World Para branding, for example track and field athletics for disabled athletes is governed by the IPC itself, under the name World Para Athletics. Other Paralympic sports are governed within the structure of the able-bodied equivalent: for example, the UCI governs both able-bodied and paralympic cycling.

Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF)

Federations which are members of the IOC (ASOIF, AIOWF and ARISF) are members of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), formerly known as SportAccord.
And furthermore, several other federations which are not IOC members are members of the AGFIS, even if this is not a governing body of a sport.